HORT

Hell yeah, I was overwhelmed when I first came via todayandtomorrow to HORT’s website. The print “Me? I’m just confident. It’s my skills that are arrogant.” just got me. The slogan is amusing but also…yeah..confident. I wanted to see, who is responsable for the Nike Refresh program.

And then I came to HORT. The website is amazing (created by Ben Wise). At first it looked “oldschool” to me, but then I asked myself: “What is the oldschool-effect?” Then I realised it was just the typewriter typo. The website got the best parts in the details. For example when you push the link “search”. Just small things but that’s what I like about good design. The whole site looks handmade. It’s not too fancy, not too hyper modern design style. It’s down to earth, with great effects. Playfull! The several pictures and descriptions are put togehter like collages. Everytime you hover over a picture it changes to the logo “HORT”.

Even the word “HORT” is great. It’s a German word for an after school care center. Why did they choose it?

“HORT – a direct translation of the studio’s mission. A creative playground. A place where ‘work and play’ can be said in the same sentence. An unconventional working environment. Once a household name in the music industry. Now, a multi-disciplinary creative hub. Not just a studio space, but an institution devoted to making ideas come to life. A place to learn, a place to grow, and a place that is still growing. Not a client execution tool. HORT has been known to draw inspiration from things other than design.”

And their work fascinates me. You totally see the playfull, shapeshifting facets. They design posters, shoes, CIs, business cards, patterns for music players, record sleeves, CD covers, book covers, and many more. There are no boundaries in using materials. The works are spreading creativity. One of my favorite work is a poster they designed for a film project, where they were given the task of creating their own interpretation of a Cult, Classic or Obscure film poster from the past, whether it be a literal or abstract solution. And they chose one of my all time favorites: The Breakfast Club.

“We had to pick a film and to create a poster as our interpretation. The Breakfast Club was our choice since HORT IS THE BREAKFAST CLUB. The process of design followed the idea of the film: five kids with nothing in common sitting together on a Saturday morning – and designing a poster.”

(all their work is under copyright control, i got their permission to use some of their works)